Professional Mourner [ˈmɔːnə] Job
When someone passes on, it’s important to grieve and show your support for family and friends.
Attending the funeral [ˈfjuːn(ə)r(ə)l] or wake can be emotionally challenging. Next time you’re in this
unfortunate [ʌnˈfɔːtʃ(ə)nət] situation, take stock of your fellow grievers – they might not be who you
think they are.
Professional mourners [ˈmɔːnə] are actors hired by family members to grieve at funerals and wakes. The
intention is to increase the number of funeral participants [pɑːˈtɪsɪp(ə)nt], provide new faces, show
support for the deceased [dɪˈsiːst] (Умерший, покойник), and help people deal with a tragedy through
other’s expressions of grief. While many people are uncomfortable with the idea of professional
mourners, it’s a job that is growing in popularity.
Professional mourning is not a new job. In many cultures it has been around for thousands of years. It
dates back to China’s Emperor Wu of Han in 100 BC. People were paid to mourn in ancient Greece and
Rome as well. In ancient Egypt [ˈiːdʒɪpt], the number of mourners at the funeral represented the
person’s status in the community. This created a big opportunity for professional mourners.
Thousands of years later, this unique job still exists. While this profession has somewhat disappeared in
recent [ˈriːs(ə)nt] times, it is slowly regaining [rɪˈɡeɪnɪŋ] popularity – especially in certain cultures. The
result is that professional mourner jobs are increasing [ɪnˈkriːsɪŋ].
Essentially, professional mourners are grief stricken actors who work in a very specific niche [niːʃ] –
mourning [ˈmɔːnɪŋ] at funerals. The family or friends of the deceased [dɪˈsiːst] seek out the services of a
professional mourner for a variety of reasons. Typically they want to increase the appearance of the
deceased’s popularity.
When a mourner [ˈmɔːnə] is hired, they meet with the family to discuss the situation. It’s important to
learn the details of the deceased [dɪˈsiːst], discover background information, and hear their “story.”
Committing this information to memory, the mourner creates their grieving character. Then the
mourner dresses appropriately [əˈprəʊprɪətlɪ] and attends the service – weeping and wailing as
necessary.
After the service, they are paid to mingle with funeral participants and share stories about the deceased.
Professional mourners must be professional and discrete because most people attending a funeral will
not know the mourner is getting paid to shed [ʃed] tears. At an appropriate [əˈprəʊprɪət] time, the
professional mourner slips away with the grieving [ˈɡriːvɪŋ] guests none the wiser [ˈwaɪzə].
To be a successful professional mourner, you must be an outgoing, confident, punctual [ˈpʌŋ(k)tʃʊ(ə)l],
and respectful conversationalist [kɒnvəˈseɪʃ(ə)n(ə)lɪst]. You must be professional and discrete as you are
playing a large part of a complete stranger’s final send-off. And of course, you must be a superb actor
with the ability to cry when needed.
Being a professional mourner isn’t a full time job. It’s generally an on-call job. Although there are rare
exceptions. Professional mourner jobs are hard to find. They aren’t typically advertised on job boards.
This job may require freelance tactics, tapping into the hidden job market, or utilizing contacts in the
funeral or acting industry.
If you do find a professional mourner job, you can expect to make $30 to $120 per funeral. Funerals
typically last 2 to 3 hours – making it possible to attend two funerals per day.